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Germany Work Visa: Route, Online Application, and Appointment Evidence
A Germany work visa is not one route. A third-country national generally needs a visa or residence title authorising employment before work starts, while EU citizens do not need a work visa. The applicant must first choose the qualified-professional, EU Blue Card, researcher, professionally experienced worker, recognition, intra-company transfer, or other employment basis that matches the facts. A strong appointment file then lets the mission answer four questions quickly: Which route is requested? Is the qualification acceptable? Is the employment genuine and route-compliant? Are salary, insurance, and entry timing documented?
From route choice to entry
- Use the Federal Foreign Office Visa Navigator and federal route guidance to identify the legal basis.
- Resolve degree or vocational recognition and any professional licence.
- Obtain a contract or binding offer whose duties, hours, salary, location, and duration satisfy that route.
- Confirm whether Federal Employment Agency approval, employer pre-approval, or a fast-track procedure is involved.
- Apply through the Consular Services Portal where the route and serving mission support it, or follow the mission's stated channel.
- Complete the appointment, respond to evidence requests, and wait for the issued visa before relying on a work start.
- After entry, complete address and local residence-title steps before the visa or authorised period expires.
Choose the route before building the binder. A section 18a/18b skilled-worker file and an EU Blue Card file may share documents, but their decisive tests differ.
Put a route memo on top
In one page, state:
- requested legal route;
- employer, position, work location, start date, and weekly hours;
- fixed gross salary and any separately identified variable pay;
- qualification and recognition/comparability result;
- regulated-profession license status;
- Federal Employment Agency approval or exemption path;
- health-insurance basis for entry and employment; and
- any fast-track or pre-approval reference.
Use the separate 18a/18b versus Blue Card guide to select the branch.
Evidence order
| Section | Key items | Consistency test |
|---|---|---|
| Identity/jurisdiction | passport, residence in consular district, forms, photos | names and travel document match |
| Route | route memo, forms, prior approval | one route is named consistently |
| Employment | signed contract, job description, employer form | duties, location, hours, salary agree |
| Qualification | diploma, transcripts, recognition/comparability | qualification fits route and job |
| Insurance | certificate for the relevant stage | start date and territorial scope fit |
| Finance | only route-required funds evidence | source and account holder are clear |
| Special approvals | BA, fast-track, regulated-profession documents | reference numbers match |
The German missions' employment visa guidance says local handling can vary. Use the mission with jurisdiction over legal residence, and save its dated checklist.
Salary evidence must be route-readable
State fixed salary, pay frequency, hours, start date, and location in the contract. If a Blue Card threshold is relevant, show the calculation using the current official figure. If section 18b is used, explain comparable conditions without pretending the Blue Card number is the test.
Keep future payroll and bank evidence for later stages in a separate file; address that continuity separately with the salary and bank-deposit evidence.
Qualification and name mismatches
If names differ across passport, diploma, and civil records, include a short bridge note plus the official document supporting the change or transliteration. Do not annotate originals.
For recognition, include the exact result and any official database printout or statement required by the mission. A high salary does not waive recognition or professional-licensing requirements where they apply.
Appointment-day controls
Confirm the current portal, appointment address, fee/payment method, original/copy rules, translations/certifications, and whether documents were already uploaded. Bring an index and a complete copy of the submitted packet.
Answer from the documents. If a fact changed after booking—salary, employer, location, marital status—update the file rather than giving an oral explanation that conflicts with the form.
After submission
Save the receipt, reference number, passport-retention information, and channel for supplemental documents. Respond to a request by its deadline and preserve exactly what was sent.
A tax ID is normally an arrival/payroll record, not a substitute for visa eligibility evidence; see the tax-ID and payroll guide.
The appointment file is ready when the caseworker can trace every material claim to a labeled document and no two documents tell different stories.
After the visa route and appointment file are fixed, use the Germany arrival sequence for the address, insurance, banking and post-entry steps.